Oh, Bother – Why Winnie The Pooh Is Getting An R-Rated Show When Blood & Honey Was So Bad

After Rhys Frake-Waterfield’s Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey received abysmal reviews from the public, it may be a shock that an R-rated series called Christopher Robin is coming out starring characters from the 100 Acre Wood. While the comedy series Christopher Robin is not related to the 2023 slasher, they both conceptually share many traits. Since A. A Milne and E.H. Shepard’s characters went into the public domain in 2022, the premise of Christopher Robin and his friends from the woods has been up for grabs for artists to reinterpret some classic children’s stories.

The pilot of Christopher Robin will be directed by Conrad Vernon (Sausage Party), who also serves as an executive producer. The series is said to be a hybrid between live-action and animation with a darker tone that justifies its R-rated. While there is limited knowledge about this series, the story follows a disillusioned Christopher Robin as he struggles through a quarter-life crisis with the help of his weird animal friends who live beyond a drug-induced portal outside his complex, the Hundred Acres. (via Bloody Disgusting) While Christopher Robin is also defined as a horror adaptation, it will also have a lighter tone than the British slasher.

Winnie The Pooh’s Rights Situation Makes The Franchise Easily Available

When the first image of Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey was released, many people wondered how the film could be made without Disney’s approval. Since A.A. Milne and E.H. Shepard’s characters entered the public domain in 2022, certain depictions of Pooh Bear can be used without breaking copyright law. However, the Walt Disney Company owns particular depictions of this iconic character, such as Pooh wearing his iconic red shirt.

Disney may have popularized Pooh Bear for generations, but the 100 Acre Wood and its characters are now up for grabs. Except for Tigger (a character that Disney still owns), there are many other 100 Acre Wood characters that creators can play with in future adaptations. While introducing the 100 Acre Wood to carnage and tragedy was Frake-Waterfield’s approach, Christopher Robin seems to be taking a darker comedic route that may resonate with audiences in a way that Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey did not.

Blood & Honey’s Hype Proves Winnie The Pooh Horror Can Work (If It’s Good)

Despite Winnie-the Pooh: Blood and Honey’s poor critical reception, Frake-Waterfield has given himself a launching pad for future films, Bambi: The Reckoning and Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare. Through marketing, Blood and Honey garnered attention from those who were horrified by the concept and others who were fascinated. Even with its critical score of 5 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey earned five million dollars with a $100,000 budget.

Regardless of whether Blood and Honey works as a coherent film, it unearthed an interest in a darker telling of these characters. For all its low-budget failures, Blood and Honey still infiltrates the viewer with a genuine terror for these once lovable characters. Not only that, but Blood and Honey’s design of the “cross-breeds” were memorable enough that the film will likely become a cult classic as the years go by. But, for now, it remains a cautionary tale for filmmakers who have a great idea but slip up on the execution.

Why A Christopher Robin TV Show Sounds Better Than Blood & Honey

The Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey’s 84-minute running time is both too short and too long to justify its existence. On the one hand, it seems that Frake-Waterfield struggled to make a feature film out of a concept. On the other hand, a ton of 100 Acre Wood lore is referenced or hinted at in the movie. This lore could’ve been explored in a longer film, but Frake-Waterfield stuck to the slasher format. However, a television series gives the characters more time to develop.

While Blood and Honey follows Christopher Robin at the beginning of the film, the film quickly steers to our protagonist Maria and her friends visiting the 100 Acre Wood for a “relaxing” retreat. The R-rated Christopher Robin hybrid series is smart to focus on Christopher Robin when he is older and disillusioned with life. In addition to further developing Christopher Robin as a character, the series could also develop the iconic Pooh Bear and his friends. With an R-rating and the freedom of animation, the possibilities for this series are endless.

Rhys Frake-Waterfield’s controversial Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey may not be a horror masterpiece, but it is helping to pave the way for some darker adaptations of childhood classics. While there isn’t much known about the horror series Christopher Robin, it sounds like an entertaining trip that will provide a welcome spin on Pooh and his friends. Until then, Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey is available to rent on Amazon Prime.

Source: Bloody Disgusting